Savannah State University Taps AGB Search to Find New President
September 10, 2024 – Washington, D.C.-based recruitment firm AGB Search, which specializes in higher education leadership assignments, has been retained by Savannah State University (SSU) to lead in its search for a new president. Principal Kim Bobby and executive search consultant Gwendolyn Boyd are leading the assignment. Cynthia Robinson Alexander is the interim president of Savannah State. She assumed the role last year, following the departure of Kimberly Ballard-Washington.
“Savannah State holds a distinct and critical role in educating Georgia’s students and helping the city and region thrive,” University System of Georgia chancellor Sonny Perdue said. “This national search is about finding a leader who can build on that work, as SSU focuses on being a premier HBCU that prepares graduates for success and prosperity in the 21st century workforce.”
“For more than 130 years, Savannah State has played a central role in this city’s higher education community, and the person selected as its next president must continue that legacy while upholding its community and industry connections,” said Patrick Jones, search committee chair. “I am honored to chair this committee and look forward to working with the other members to find candidates who understand SSU’s historic role while making sure it leads the system in academic engagement and student success.”
The presidential search committee will guide the first stage of the search. AGB Search will provide executive search consulting services. At the conclusion of its work, the committee will forward the credentials of three to five unranked candidates to the board of regents for consideration. The complete leadership profile, along with information about the opportunity and the university, will be posted in conjunction with the search launch in September.
Savannah State is the oldest public historically black university in Georgia and the oldest institution of higher education in Savannah. The university is a coeducational institution within the University System of Georgia with 200 full time faculty members and an enrollment of more than 4,800. It offers graduate and undergraduate studies including nationally accredited programs in the liberal arts, the sciences and the professions.
Serving Colleges and Universities
AGB Search conducts searches for college and university presidents, chancellors, provosts, vice presidents, deans, university system heads, and CEOs of coordinating boards and related foundations. The firm was founded by the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges (AGB) in 2010.
Related: AGB Search Assists Rhode Island College in Finding New President
Dr. Bobby has had a distinguished career in the field of higher education prior to joining AGB Search. Her expertise and understanding of meeting the needs of diversity and inclusion have enabled her to identify and place diverse talent in higher education institutions and serve as the senior advisor for justice, equity, and inclusion for AGB. Dr. Bobby has conducted various executive searches at the president, provost, chief diversity officers/DEI, and vice president level. Her representative executive searches include:
- California State University – East Bay – university diversity officer.
- Gonzaga University – provost.
- Lamar Institute of Technology – president.
- Valencia College – president.
- University of Wisconsin System – associate vice president for equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging.
- Foothill-De Anza Community College District – chancellor.
Prior to joining the firm, Dr. Bobby served as the director of the Inclusive Excellence Group (IEG) at the American Council on Education (ACE). She also provided leadership and oversight for the ACE Women’s Network, a consortium of 57 higher education institutions across the United States devoted to advancing women leaders, and the Moving the Needle: Advancing Women Leaders initiative a multi-association collaboration that designed to increase the number of women in senior leadership positions in higher education through programs, research, and partnerships.
AGB Search Recruits 22nd President for Seton Hall University
AGB Search has assisted in the recruitment of Monsignor Joseph R. Reilly as the 22nd president of Seton Hall University in South Orange, NJ. “There is no one better suited to leading the university at this moment — a time when Seton Hall stands at the cusp of extraordinary progress,” said Hank D’Alessandro, chair of the board of regents and the presidential search committee. “Monsignor Reilly was the ideal choice. He possesses a deep faith in god and a demonstrable commitment to nurturing our students to greatness as we advance among the nation’s foremost Catholic universities.”
Dr. Boyd joined AGB Search in 2017 as an executive search consultant. She is an engineer and a prominent advocate of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education. Dr. Boyd is described as a dynamic and relevant leader, a prolific motivational speaker, and a powerful preacher. Since joining the firm she has assisted in senior leadership searches for:
- Edward Waters University (FL) – president.
- Chicago State University – president.
- Tougaloo College (MS) – president.
Dr. Boyd’s professional career of more than three decades at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics laboratory was highlighted by exemplary leadership and dedicated services as part of engineering teams. She was a direct report to the President of Johns Hopkins University serving as chair of the Johns Hopkins Diversity Leadership Council from 2001-2014. Dr. Boyd returned to her alma mater, Alabama State University, in 2014 to serve for three years as the 14th and first female president of ASU.
Related: AGB Search Assists Ohio University in Finding New President
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
